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Do Magnets Help Relieve Low Back Pain?

WebMD News Archive

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The researchers found no differences between magnet therapy and sham therapy
for pain reduction, Collacott says. "We found no adverse effects as a
result of treatment. Based on this study, however, I am not prepared to say
that magnets don't work. We could have used the wrong magnet, or used it
incorrectly."

The researchers refused to reveal the manufacturer of the magnets used in
the study, so WebMD contacted BIOflex Medical Magnetics Inc., one manufacturer
of magnets used for therapy.

"I'm not surprised that this magnet didn't succeed in the study, because
it's just not designed correctly," says Ted Zablotsky, MD, president of
BIOflex. He says his company's magnets were not those used in the research, and
he argues that the type of magnets used in the study are not effective.
"All magnets are not created equal," he tells WebMD.

Zablotsky is also critical of the length of time magnetic therapy was used
in the study. "I wouldn't expect results in 45 minutes. ... We have seen
results as early as 20 minutes to overnight, but if it's not going to work,
they will know within the first eight to 10 hours," he tells WebMD.

Edmund Chao, PhD, professor of orthopaedic surgery at Johns Hopkins
University, who is not affiliated with the study, tells WebMD, "Magnets
such as these generate very weak, static [or non-moving] fields. There is no
evidence that static fields have any impact on the body," though pulsed, or
moving, fields do have an impact.

According to David Trock, MD, assistant professor of rheumatology at Yale
University School of Medicine, who also reviewed the study for WebMD. "We
really need to keep an open mind about the use of magnets. I've heard a number
of anecdotal stories on both sides, and this study is quite interesting because
it provides us with one more piece of information in an area that needs much
more research."

Vital Information:

A new study reports that patients were no more successful treating their
low back pain with magnets than when they used a fake magnet for
comparison.

A representative from an outside medical magnet company, who has a medical
degree, notes the study's magnets were not designed to be therapeutic.

One physician commented that the magnetic field created by the products
used in the study is different from the magnetic field shown to have medical
benefit. Another doctor notes that more study is needed and that people should
keep an open mind until more information is available.